


Of Friendship And Beautiful Beginnings

by singingforyou



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Everyone Needs A Hug, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, My First Fanfic, Platonic Relationships, Self-Doubt, day6 group hug??? lolll, sungjin is shaking his head so sadly no
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-19 05:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22772770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingforyou/pseuds/singingforyou
Summary: From the moment Day6 first played together, they have been dying to share their music with the world. When posters for the school’s prestigious biannual music competition start appearing all over the school again after six years, the five friends decide that they cannot let the chance go to waste. The competition was the perfect opportunity for them to gain attention. As they prepare for the competition, problems start arising as they are faced with their deepest personal fears and struggles. Can they win the competition? Can they overcome their demons? Is their friendship enough for them to make it through?OR Day6 as high schoolers trying to get noticed for their music by joining their school's music competition, all while battling their personal demons.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for deciding to read my story! (⌒▽⌒)☆
> 
> So this is my first work I've ever published so please, please, please go easy on me!! I know this is SUCH AN OVERUSED STORYLINE FOR DAY6 but I couldn't help myself hehe (⁄ ⁄•⁄∀⁄•⁄ ⁄) It kinda came to mind when I was bored and I felt a dying urge to type it out and well... Here we are!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this very short intro chapter! I combed through it the best I could to find any mistakes but I'm sorry if you guys notice any I missed heh
> 
> WARNING: I may/may not finish the story depending on my availability + my confidence in my writing __φ(．．) but I promise I'll TRY to complete it!! Thanks a million for reading my story!!

Dowoon stood amongst the small crowd of students, excitement building within him as he stared up at the poster. A billion thoughts ran through his head all at once as the smile on his face grew. He spun around, searching the faces around him for Wonpil.

“Wonpil hyung!” He shouted out in excitement. The people around him scowled and he ducked his head in embarrassment, feeling his ears warm.

“Dowoon! Over here!” He heard a familiar voice call out above the indistinct murmurings of the crowd. He lifted his eyes and saw a hand waving in the distance. He shuffled his way through the mass of people, eyes fixed on his feet, conscious of the people glancing at him.

When Dowoon had escaped the mass of people, Wonpil pulled him aside and grasped his shoulders, shaking him excitedly as they both burst into giggles. Dowoon relaxed, the unease in him unwinding as he lifted his head and looked up to Wonpil.

“Hyung, you saw the poster, right?” Dowoon asked Wonpil as he shook him, a smile plastered on his face. Wonpil laughed, tiptoeing a little as he slung his arm over Dowoon's shoulders.

“Of course! I got here early and saw them putting it up. This is exactly the opportunity we've been waiting for! We _can’t_ let it pass up!” Wonpil exclaimed eagerly. Dowoon bobbed his head up and down fiercely.

“We need to tell the others!” He said, a slight pout appearing as his face set in determination.

“Don't worry, Dowoon, they'll be here soon. They're probably just late as usual. Especially Sungjin. You know how he is.” Wonpil chuckled. “He’s always late even though he lives closest to school.”

As if on cue, they heard a deep voice inquire, “What's all this about?”

Wonpil and Dowoon turned around to find Sungjin, shoes not even worn properly yet, looking on at the students crowding around the poster. Wonpil and Dowoon noticed Jae and Younghyun a few steps behind him.

Wonpil snickered, nudging Dowoon and whispering to him, “See? Late.” Then he turned to address his other friends, schooling his features into one of indifference.

“The school music competition is back,” Wonpil answered casually. Sungjin's eyebrows rose.

“Really?” He asked, deadpan, clearly disbelieving. Jae and Younghyun looked just as doubtful. Wonpil and Dowoon both suppressed their smiles.

“Just as before, there will be a first round of auditions held by our school teachers, followed by the competition, judged by professional musicians. But this time, the competition is open to the public,” Wonpil continued, failing to hide his grin.

All three friends blinked, sharing uncertain glances. Wonpil and Dowoon just smiled and gestured toward the poster. The three students made their way through the crowd, stopping close enough to read it. They stared up at the large poster pasted onto the large pillar at the entrance of the school.

Even from afar, both Dowoon and Wonpil could see their friends' expression twist into one of shock and joy. The three friends turned simultaneously, making eye contact with their two younger friends, their faces matching expressions of excitement. Wonpil raised a thumbs-up at them, Dowoon bouncing on the balls of his feet beside him.

The three teens struggled through the tight pack of students towards their friends, breaking away from the crowd. The friends crashed into each other, laughing and jumping while slapping each other on their backs. When they had finally calmed down enough to catch their breath, Sungjin chuckled, extending his hand into the centre of their small circle, the other four following suit.

“We're not going to do great, we're going to have fun. One, two, three—”

“DAY6!” The five shouted in sync, sharing matching grins as they raised their hands to the pale blue sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case your curious, I'm currently somewhere in between a Dowoon stan and an OT5 stan cuz... I'm indecisive :P
> 
> Please leave comments! I'd love to hear your thoughts/feedback/chat with yall (but no hate pls,, i'm fragile) (´• ᵕ •`)  
> Again, thank you so, so much for reading! Hope this short intro chapter made your day! ٩(◕‿◕)۶
> 
> IG: douwun_95  
> (^^ my dowoon fanacc haha I'm not VERY active but I spread lots of love for our cute maknae and talented boys)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!! A new chapter! Sorry my update took so long~ (｡•́︿•̀｡) 
> 
> Sad to say though, I may not be able to upload the next chapter anytime soon ;-; I have national exams coming up you see... (°◡°) but I'll update as soon as I can, once my exams are finished!
> 
> This chapter is much longer than the previous one though! Hopefully it can somewhat compensate for the long break I'll be taking. Hope you enjoy it! (≧◡≦)
> 
> P.S. my angst tag makes its first appearance in this chapter, so yes... enjoy!?

The five teens huddled together, seated in a tight circle in the basement of Younghyun’s house. Graduation photos, medals and certificates adorned the walls, flaunting the only son's achievements. The other four often teased Younghyun about it whenever they came over, but Younghyun never felt anything less than love and gratitude for his beloved parents.

This time though, the five friends were focused as they discussed the music competition, donning matching faces of earnestness.

“What song should we play for the festival?” Wonpil piped up.

“Should we play _You_?” Younghyun suggested.

“Or _Pandora_ ,” Jae offered.

“Oh! What about _I Can_? Wonpil hyung’s synth part is really cool!” Dowoon added excitedly. Wonpil cast him an affectionate grin.

Only Sungjin sat in silence, chin resting on his hand as he considered their suggestions. The other four turned to him simultaneously, seeking his opinion.

Finally, Sungjin suggested, “Or we could make a new song entirely.” The others’ mouths began to open in protest, but Sungjin continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, you know I love all the songs we have currently. But this may be our only chance to showcase our music to people. I don’t know about you guys, but I think we should make something brand new. Our other songs are great, but I want to give people the best music we can make. Plus, it _has_ been a while since we wrote another song. And we have enough time for it! The first round of auditions are in five months. That’s more than enough time for us to compose and polish one song. We can see how it turns out and decide from there,” he reasoned.

The others considered this for a moment. Eventually, Wonpil sighed and clasped his hands together, relenting.

“Alright, hyung, I guess we should get started then?” He grinned. Despite the earlier objections, everyone was soon buzzing with excitement, thrilled at the prospect of going back to composing.

“Let's get to work!”

* * *

“ _Broken bottles in the hotel lobby…_ ”

Sungjin was pulled from the comfort of his sleep by the sound of his favourite song playing from his phone. He shifted, one arm reaching for his phone to turn off his alarm. His other arm fell over his eyes, blocking the sunlight that shone on his face as it filtered in through the curtains. Yawning, he stretched his stiff body and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He checked the notifications on his phone, ensuring he had not missed anything important. His eyes fell upon the messages that had begun popping up on his notification bar. It was from the group chat with his friends. He clicked on the notification.

_Younghyun: I just checked with my parents and they said it's alright if we practice today. They said they’re gonna be out the whole day to visit a relative. So how about 11 am in my basement?_

_Wonpil: Okay, hyung! See you guys later!_

_Jae: Gotcha, thanks._

_Dowoon: See you later, hyung-deul!_

Sungjin's lips involuntarily curled into a small smile. His fingers flew across the keyboard of his phone as he typed a reply.

_I'll bring lunch._

He smiled to himself as he sat up, kicking off his blanket. Humming under his breath, he folded his blanket neatly and changed out of his sleeping clothes. He grabbed his backpack with his music notes, reaching inside to take out his wallet and earphones. Zipping the bag shut, he slung the straps over his shoulder as he walked out of his bedroom.

Sungjin’s guitar was at Younghyun’s house; They had practised there last week as well. Younghyun let them leave their instruments in his basement whenever they wanted, to save them the trouble of carrying their heavy instruments back and forth. Only Dowoon did not need to bring his instrument to Younghyun’s house. His drum set, being hard to transport, never left his house. Instead, he used the drum set Youngyhun already had at his house, a gift from one of his relatives when he was young.

Only Younghyun’s house had the equipment they required for practising together. Not to mention, Younghyun’s basement was spacious and had good acoustics, so it served well as their practice room. Thankfully, Younghyun’s parents did not mind the ruckus they created and sometimes would even help cook meals for them when they came over.

Sungjin’s mother sat on the couch in the living room, reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose as she read the newspaper. Hearing Sungjin’s footsteps, she looked up and smiled at him as he walked into the living room.

“Morning, Ma!” He greeted cheerily. “I'm heading to Younghyun’s house today.” He walked towards the shoe rack near the door, placing his shoes on the ground and slipping them on.

“Alright, just be back before nine. And put your shoes on properly! You're gonna spoil them if you keep wearing them like that!” His mother shouted in exasperation, seeing how he had flattened the heel of his shoe under his foot. He laughed, taking care to pull the heel of his shoe over his foot.

“Bye, Ma!” He called, shutting the door behind him. He locked the door before he headed towards the convenience store near his house to buy ramen for lunch. Walking down the aisle between the towering shelves lined with packets of ramen, he grabbed eight packs of the boys’ favourite ramen, as per usual. Packets of ramen were piled in his arms as he approached the counter. The store owner’s old eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly at Sungjin.

“You boys are constantly clearing my ramen shelves for me,” he commented, chuckling. Sungjin laughed as he paid for the ramen. He placed the packets of ramen in his backpack.

“Well, thank you, uncle! Have a good day!” Sungjin replied amiably. Waving as he left, he walked to the subway to take a train to Younghyun's house, earphones blasting music into his ears.

* * *

Sungjin rang the doorbell, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet as he waited. He looked up as the door opened.

“Hey, Sungjin!” Younghyun greeted cheerily, stepping aside to let him in.

“Hey, Younghyun. Has everyone else arrived?” Sungjin asked as Younghyun shut the door behind him. Younghyun waited while Sungjin removed his shoes.

“Wonpil and Jae have. They’re probably bickering about the game they just played. Dowoon said he’d be here in five minutes or so.” Sungjin nodded as he slung his bag around, storing his wallet inside.

Younghyun eyed his backpack, patting his stomach absentmindedly when he heard it growl. “What did you buy? The usual?” He questioned excitedly.

“Of course,” he laughed. “But let’s wait till Dowoon arrives before eating.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the doorbell rang. Sungjin and Younghyun shared a smile. Younghyun briefly checked the peephole before opening the door to reveal Dowoon outside, hands raised, air-drumming. He looked up when the door opened, quickly putting down his hands.

“Practicing?” Younghyun asked with a smirk, leaning against the door frame. Sungjin chuckled, watching the tips of Dowoon's ears gradually turn red from Younghyun’s teasing.

He mumbled, “I didn’t expect you to open the door so soon.” Younghyun grinned as he moved to make way for his younger friend. Dowoon stepped in, his eyes lighting up when he saw Sungjin.

“Sungjin! You’re here! Can we eat the ramen now? I didn’t have breakfast.” Sungjin nodded, tilting his head toward the living room.

As they approached the living room, they could hear shouting and Wonpil’s distinct giggling.

“Jae, you’re so pitiful!” They could hear Wonpil say between his giggles. Someone stomped.

“Hey! I get it! You beat me! Stop laughing at me!” Jae shouted, struggling to suppress his laughter. Wonpil’s giggles intensified.

Sungjin, Younghyun and Dowoon entered the living room to see Wonpil hit Jae’s shoulder lightly, Jae’s body leaning backwards from laughter. Sungjin hid a smile.

“Lunch!” He called as they entered the living room, lifting his backpack up for them to see. The bickering duo reined in their laughter and followed the others into the kitchen. Falling into their usual routine, they prepared the meal, each person taking charge of their respective tasks.

Younghyun and Dowoon were in charge of cooking eggs for the five of them, while Sungjin boiled water for the ramen. Once Jae had finished opening the eight packets of ramen, Sungjin poured the water inside to soften the noodles. Wonpil added the seasoning to each packet, mixing them thoroughly. They divided the portions into five bowls, making sure to give more noodles to Sungjin and Younghyun, the big eaters amongst them. Dowoon placed an egg inside each bowl while Jae fished out the cutlery from one of the kitchen drawers and placed a pair of chopsticks on top of each bowl.

Younghyun clapped his hands together excitedly. “Let’s eat!” They each brought over one bowl of ramen to Younghyun’s dining table before they sat down and began eating. The meal was dead silent, save for the muted sounds of slurping and chewing as the boys devoured their food.

“How are the lyrics coming along?” Sungjin asked Younghyun after he had finished his bowl of ramen. Younghyun’s brow furrowed as he finished drinking the soup from the ramen. He sighed when he put down his bowl.

“I can’t seem to find lyrics that would fit. I’ll probably need more time,” he replied, fiddling with a piece of tissue. Wonpil frowned.

“Do you need help?” He inquired, concerned. Younghyun pondered for a moment.

“I can’t even seem to figure out what sort of theme it should have. Maybe help me find a theme, then I’ll write the lyrics and give it to you to check,” he suggested. Wonpil grinned, nodding. They quickly washed the dishes before proceeding to the basement to practice.

As the hours passed, the melody of the song gradually came together, with their heart and soul woven into the delicate fabric of the song.

* * *

“Good night!” Younghyun called, waving from his doorstep. Sungjin half-turned, waving back. He had been last to leave Younghyun’s house. The other three had left earlier due to their parents’ strict curfew, so he had stayed back to help Younghyun organise the things for a while.

After practising their songs for several hours, Younghyun had cooked dinner. It was a simple tomato-based pasta with meatballs and cheese, but it had been delicious. All the boys loved it. There was not a single trace of pasta left in all their plates after they had finished.

Younghyun had picked up cooking as a hobby during his free time and had grown relatively good at it. He hardly cooked for others though, so Sungjin was grateful he had offered to make dinner for them.

Sungjin walked to the nearby train station, swiftly making his way down to the train platform. The train arrived shortly after, and Sungjin boarded the train quickly so he could get a seat. Their numerous hours of practice had drained all the energy out of him. He plonked himself on an empty seat, placing his backpack on his lap. The train was relatively empty, save for a handful of people. Shaking his leg to the beat of the song playing through his earphones, Sungjin waited for the train to depart from the station.

Just as the doors of the train were about to close, a couple ran in, laughing loudly and holding hands. Sungjin glanced at them instinctively. The sight that greeted him was nowhere near as pleasant as the brilliant smiles on the couple’s faces.

There, before him, was Hee Ryung, his girlfriend, smiling up at another man, her arm linked tightly through his.

His heartbeat echoed in his ears.

His vision tunnelled.

Everything came to a standstill.

Sungjin's grip on his bag tightened, his knuckles turning white.

Pain flared in his chest, spreading like a wildfire throughout his entire body.

Rage.

Hurt.

Confusion.

_What was she doing?_

The couple, however, paid him no heed, oblivious to the war raging within his mind, simply sitting on the seats in front of him and picking up their conversation once more. The man moved closer to her, leaning forward to whisper something in her ear that elicited a giggle. She leaned closer to kiss the man's cheek.

The show of affection tugged at his heart. His heart felt heavy, weighing him down like lead. His mind raced, flashing to memories in which she had done the exact same thing to him. Memories once filled with boundless joy, now coloured by the horrid sight before him. Simply thinking about it caused bile to rise in his throat. Sungjin hugged his stomach, struggling to keep himself from emptying his entire dinner onto the train.

Heat began to warm his eyes, his vision turning blurry with tears. Clenching his fist, he looked down, biting his lip, blinking rapidly to try and suppress the tears that threatened to fall.

His mind ran in circles as the train sped along the tracks. The music playing from his earphones was muffled by the one thought that echoed within the chaos of his mind.

_How could she?_

* * *

_Three Weeks Earlier_

_Sungjin sat at his desk, finishing up the last of his homework. Pressing down his pen to the worksheet in finality, he capped his pen and stretched. Yawning, he glanced at the digital clock on his desk. It was already midnight and he had school the following day. He had to get to bed. He cleared his desk of his worksheets and stationery, packing his backpack for the next day._

_Just as he collapsed on his bed and curled up in his blanket, his phone started buzzing on his desk. Puzzled by the call at the late hour, Sungjin frowned. He picked up his phone, turning it over to see who was calling him._

_It was Hee Ryung._

_Sungjin’s brows rose in surprise and hope. During their last date, she had left abruptly. Sungjin had tried calling her to ask her about it, but all his calls never got through. For several days, Sungjin had not seen the slightest glimpse of Hee Ryung in school. He had been worried sick about her. Sungjin hoped her call would provide an explanation to it all. He accepted the call._

_“Hello? Hee Ryung?”_

_He was met with complete silence._

_“Hee Ryung? Are you there?” Sungjin inquired again, after a few more beats of silence. He heard her sigh._

_“Sungjin…” she murmured, her voice strained. He sat upright. Something was off._

_“Yes? What’s wrong?”_

_Silence._

_Then--_

_“Let’s take a break.”_

_Sungjin’s heart clenched tightly within his chest. He fisted his blanket. Pulling his legs to his chest, he pressed his face into his knees in the darkness._

_She was joking._

_Right?_

_The world began spinning behind his eyelids._

_Finally, he whispered, “Why?”_

_Silence again._

_“Did I do something wrong?” He tried again, his voice breaking._

_No reply._

_He heard a loud beep._

_Confused, Sungjin pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the phone screen. Hee Ryung had ended the call. His heart sank._

_Where had he gone wrong?_

_He tried calling her back, but all his calls went straight to voicemail. After a few more tries to no avail, Sungjin gave up, dropping his phone onto his bedside table. He buried his face in his pillow._

_The silence of the room became deafening, the emptiness of the room suffocating him slowly. His thoughts ran wild, recounting their past dates, as he sifted through his memories and tried to find where he went wrong. But even with all his searching, he struggled to find a time when he had done something to upset her greatly. His hands shook, confusion and hurt brimming within him. His heart felt like it had been wrung and beaten a million times over._

_Hot, wet tears began leaking from his eyes, wetting his pillow. Sungjin stifled a sob. He turned over, staring up at his pristine white ceiling._

_A break._

_That was what she said._

_A break._

_So he decided to wait._

_He waited for the day when things could return to the way it was before._

But that day never came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY SUNGJIN I LOVE YOU THIS IS JUST FOR THE STORY I'M SORRY (╥﹏╥)
> 
> Anyways, you can probably tell already but I took some inspiration from the Congratulations MV haha (but the story is not Sungjin's though! There were rumours that it was but it was never confirmed by DAY6) I've just always loved everything about Congratulations. Like the song, MV etc were all PERFECT. And the fact that it was their debut song? I'm still mind blown heh. Also! Hee Ryung is the name of the actress in the MV (^o^)
> 
> And Sungjin's 'favourite song' at the start is High Hopes by Kodaline! He's covered it so many times so I figured, why not? Also he sounds SO GOOD when he sings it... like, no joke. ♡ (˘▽˘) ♡
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave comments! It can be your thoughts, feedback or whatever you want! I would just love to hear what you guys think heh (but no hate pls! I'm fragile ;;) (´• ᵕ •`)
> 
> IG: douwun_95


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOOO!! IT'S A NEW CHAPTER AT LAST!!  
> Sorry to make you guys wait so long for this update... I was really busy, and I also wasn't sure if anyone was really interested in it, but my new chapter has come at last!! Hope you all enjoy it! Not my best chapter, I admit, but I'm working on improving my writing!!  
> Thanks for reading!

Sungjin trudged out of school. Jae, Younghyun, Wonpil and Dowoon had all left earlier; He’d fibbed, saying that he had a meeting with his teacher after school. But truth to be told, he simply could not bear the thought of burdening them with his petty love problems. What good could possibly come out of that?

Sungjin sighed, staring up at the passing clouds in the sky.

If only there was a way he could turn back time. He would have done whatever it took to avoid witnessing that horrid sight on the train that night. Maybe then he would have saved himself from his misery.

His arm lifted, fingertips curling around an unseen dial, turning it backwards.

If only.

The sound of hurried footsteps behind him jolted him out of his reverie. He quickly dropped his arm and turned to see who it was.

There, Hee Ryung stood, looking at him, clutching her books and files tightly against her chest, her expression unreadable. Her uniform skirt ruffled as a draft blew past.

He felt that same pressure from that night building within him, rising, growing, consuming him—

He pushed it down.

Turning on his heel, he started back home, walking briskly.

“Sungjin!”

His feet faltered, coming to a stop. His fists clenched by his side. He hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut. His traitorous feet refused to budge. She took that as an invitation to approach him. He heard her run towards him, slowing to a stop behind him.

“Sungjin.”

His heart clenched, twisting into a knot within his chest. His hands shook. Nevertheless, he put on a smile.

He turned around to face her, not quite meeting her gaze.

“Hee Ryung! How are—”

“I know.”

His heart stopped.

“I know you saw us.”

The words that hung on the tip of his tongue slipped away, lost in the raging sea of his thoughts.

She bit her lip. She looked down for a moment, her hair concealing the expression on her face.

His head spun as he searched, sifted through his memories once again to find that one mistake he  _ must _ have made—

“It’s not your fault.”

She looked back up again, staring at him in the eye. Sungjin blinked uncomprehendingly.

“I just—” She stopped, breaking eye contact and brushing her hair aside. Her eyebrows furrowed. She sighed.

“I came to realise what we had... It wasn't right for me. But I didn’t know how to tell you that. I didn’t think you would understand. And when Yoonje came to me, I had been so desperate not to lose him—”

“So you dated him? So you disregarded us and our relationship just to hold on to him? Dammit, Hee Ryung, I waited for you!” Sungjin shouted as the words poured out of him. Hee Ryung stared up at him, taken aback.

“You told me that we should take a break. Fine! I took your words just as it was. So I waited. I waited for  _ you _ . I waited for the day you would come back to me, and everything could be made right again! Sure, it was agonising, but nowhere near as much as it is now. You should have just ended it! I’d rather the painful truth than this stupid lie! Why? What did I ever do to you?” He cried, face contorted with anguish and betrayal.

She looked down, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. Sungjin felt his heart ache at the sight of it. His hand instinctively reached up to wipe them away.

He stopped himself, his hand hovering in midair.

Why should he comfort her when she was the one who had crushed his heart? Why should he pity her when she was the one who had abandoned him in the middle of their relationship to date another guy?

Why should he feel sorry when she was the one who had left him?

He let his hand drop down to his side.

Body shaking with his pent up emotions, he whispered bitterly, “Are you even sorry?” He set his jaw, a part of him fearing her reply.

She took a deep breath before finally looking up at him again. She said nothing, simply staring back at him with defiance in her red-rimmed eyes.

His heart sank, falling like an anchor released from its ship to the ocean floor.

That was reply enough.

Hands fisted, knuckles white, he nodded, pressing his lips together into a hard line.

“Goodbye,” He said finally, praying she did not hear how his voice cracked. He turned around and walked away.

Teardrops splattered onto the dry concrete pavement, trailing him all the way home.

* * *

Sungjin scowled, picking up his guitar and dropping onto his chair. 

“Let's play the song once through. If anyone has potential lyrics in mind, share it,” Sungjin said, voice clipped.

The other members shared quick glances. What was wrong with him? Nevertheless, they nodded wordlessly.

They tried playing the song once through, but Sungjin kept strumming his guitar aggressively, disrupting the rhythm and messing up the song. He stopped playing mid-way and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. The music faded out as the members watched Sungjin with matching faces of concern.

“Let’s try that again,” he said roughly.

But over, and over again, Sungjin kept making mistakes. It was so unlike him to be so riled up, the boys knew for certain there was something wrong.

Jae was first to voice it.

“Sungjin. Stop. You know this is going nowhere. Just tell us what’s wrong,” he said, eyebrows furrowing. Sungjin didn’t answer, but merely sighed in frustration and rubbed his face. They watched him bury his face in his hands, heard his ragged breaths, felt his pain like it was their own.

Glancing at each other, they put aside their instruments and shuffled towards him. Jae knelt in front of Sungjin to look at him properly.

“Sungjin,” he said firmly, “What’s wrong? Tell us so we can help you.”

But again, he stayed silent, save for the sound of his breathing growing heavier.

Wonpil knelt beside Jae and pried Sungjin’s hands from his face gently.

“Sungjin hyung… Please tell us what’s wrong. You don’t need to suffer alone, you know. It’s okay to share your troubles with us,” he said softly.

Something about those words must have broken down the last of his facade because the next moment, he doubled over and began sobbing. The others looked at each other in alarm. For Sungjin to be worked up was rare enough as it was, but for him to  _ cry _ was even more so.

Dowoon quickly grabbed a tissue box that was lying around in the basement and brought it over. Younghyun plucked a few tissues, acknowledging Dowoon with a quick nod before slipping the tissues into Sungjin’s hands.

“Hyung,” Younghyun pleaded, “let us help you.”

Sungjin sat very still for a few moments before he released a heavy sigh and sniffed. He pressed the tissues into his eyes, before looking at them with his teary eyes.

“Let’s have tea.”

* * *

The five boys settled around the table with cups of warm beverage before them. Sungjin swirled the coffee in his mug with a teaspoon absently, a blank, almost dead, expression on his face. He looked absolutely exhausted. The other four waited in silence, deciding not to push him and let him speak in his own time.

Sungjin heaved a sigh, wringing his hands together tightly.

“You all remember Hee Ryung, right?”

_ My girlfriend, _ his treacherous mind wanted to add. But it was not so. Not anymore.

They all nodded. Sungjin pressed his lips together, squeezed his eyes shut, trying in vain to hold back the flood of tears that announced its unwelcome entrance with the heat pooling at his eyes.

“A few weeks back, she called me and told me she—she wanted to—” he cut off as his throat closed up. He gasped for breath, one hand instinctively moving to claw at his chest. Wonpil, who sat on his left, immediately began stroking his back gently.

Sungjin took in a shaky breath, before swiping at his eyes. He clenched his fists.

“She said she wanted a break. So—so I took those words as it was. A break, nothing more. But last week…” He faltered. His fists tightened, leaving crescent marks on the flesh of his palms.

“I saw her with another guy,” he ground out, through clenched teeth. The others were stunned into silence.

Sungjin chuckled darkly. “And yesterday, she came up to me and told me it wasn’t my fault. Told me that she realised what we had  _ wasn’t right for her _ , and she  _ couldn’t let Yoonje go _ ,” he said bitterly, his hands raised to indicate quotation marks. Sungjin glowered at non-existent flecks of dust on the table.

“Good riddance.”

Sungjin’s head snapped up at the sound of Jae’s cold voice. He too, was seemingly shooting daggers at the imaginary dirt on the table. In fact, it seemed the whole lot of them were. Maybe some of them were imagining Hee Ryung’s face plastered upon it. Sungjin decided he didn’t mind.

“She asked for a break instead of just cutting it off with you those weeks ago, leaving you on the bench, waiting for her like a fool. Then she proceeded to cheat on you and gave some shitty excuse when you found out? Good riddance, that’s what I’d say. She never deserved you if that’s how she was all along,” Jae growled. No one, not even Wonpil, the most understanding and pure-hearted of all of them, could protest that statement. The other three glanced at Sungjin, wary of how he’d react to Jae’s words.

Sungjin let Jae’s words soak in. And in spite of himself, his lips quirked into something that resembled a smile. The tension eased from the table, as an easier silence settled upon them.

Out of the blue, they heard Wonpil sniff. The other four turned to look at him with matching faces of amusement.

“Why,” Sungjin began, smiling despite his tear-blurred vision, “are  _ you _ crying?”

Wonpil made a face as he wiped his tears. “I got emotional, okay?” He half-sobbed, half-laughed.

“You’re  _ always _ emotional,” Jae shot back.

And for the first time that week, Sungjin let laughter ring out from his chest.

And as he did, he felt the string that tethered him to Hee Ryung slowly come undone.

* * *

“Hey, now—Stop pushing!”

“I’m not pushing you!”

“You just did!”

“I can’t see!”

“Shh! She’s coming!”

The four friends peeked out from their classroom door, eyes watching a girl, dressed in immaculate white uniform, stroll up to her bright red locker.

In fact, it was slightly  _ too _ bright in comparison to the other lockers.

“Do you think she’ll notice?” Dowoon murmured uncertainly. Jae, Younghyun and Wonpil were silent, hoping earnestly that she wouldn’t see how the shade of her locker was brighter than usual, how the colours were uneven and patchy.

The four friends held their breath as she slid the key into her locker, swiftly unlocking it before reaching to open it—

“Hee Ryung!” A voice called out.

She whirled around gracefully, a dazzling smile on her face.

“Yoonje! There you are! I was looking all over for you this morning!”

The guy strode up to her, planting a kiss upon her lips. Younghyun’s hands balled into fists as he shook with rage. The other three placed firm hands on his shoulder, holding him back before he did something reckless. Already, this covert mission of theirs could land them in trouble.

The guy placed a hand against her locker door.

“So… are you free this Saturday?” He inquired, his lips curled into a cocky smirk. The girl returned the smile with a matching grin, leaning back against her locker.

The quartet managed to suppress their squeals of delight, but only just.

“Why, in fact, I am. Why do you ask?” She countered, her voice coy.

“So I can ask you out on a date, of course,” he answered, leaning forward to play with her hair. She giggled, pushing him back lightly before turning around to open up her locker.

“Where and when?” She asked nonchalantly as she withdrew her books from her locker.

The guy, however, did not answer, as he frowned at the patches of red that had made an appearance at the back of the girl’s pristine white skirt. The girl frowned at the silence.

“Yoonje?” She turned around. “What’s wrong?” He had begun to inspect his red hand, rubbing it as he struggled to remove the paint. The boys covered their mouths to keep themselves from bursting into laughter.

The girl stared at his red hands before her eyes widened like saucers. She whipped her head back to look at the back of her skirt, face flushing deep red as she saw the red stain on the white cloth.

“Who did this?” She cried, panic lacing her tone.

Other students passing by began to pay notice to her distress, and snickers could be heard sounding throughout the hall. From where they were, the boys could see how she set her jaw before storming off to the bathroom, nose in the air. The guy quickly shut her locker before running after her.

The boys pulled away from the door before letting their laughter loose.

“I’m so glad we took your idea, Dowoon!” Wonpil said between his fit of giggles. Dowoon grinned cheekily. Younghyun clapped him hard on the back, chuckling.

“Better make sure Sungjin doesn’t find out though. He may not take well to it,” Wonpil added as an afterthought. Jae grinned.

“Even if he does, and we get lectured by him for it, I don’t care. It would  _ definitely _ be worth it,” he replied, his wide—almost devilish—grin spread across his face, from ear to ear.

For the rest of the day, the four of them kept giggling amongst themselves. They never did tell Sungjin what about, even when he asked, multiple times. After his third try, he simply gave up asking; There wasn’t any point in him pestering them if they were set on keeping the reason from him.

Besides, gossip spread like wildfire in their school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for chapter 3! Did you like it? Think it could've been better? Let me know in the comments!! Or you can just unleash your inner thoughts, or whatever you want. Comments let me know how I'm doing and if I should continue or fix something up, so they're much appreciated!! („• ֊ •„)  
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! My next update may take quite a while because I haven't really written it out properly? I have the outline but my uninspired bum has been stuck for a while on how to put it all to narrative text. But I'm working on it!  
> Anyways, thanks for reading!!
> 
> IG: douwun_95


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